Tacoma Deputy Mayor Marty Campbell has served on the Tacoma City Council since 2009. The founder of two of the iconic retail stores of Tacoma's recent past, Buzzard's and Stadium Video, Campbell has thoughtfully balanced the sensibilities of small business owner and lover of arts and culture. He recently announced that he would seek re-election to his District 4 council seat, which represents all of East Tacoma and sections of South Tacoma. His candidacy is currently unopposed and he is not expected to field a legitimate opponent. Campbell chatted recently with Town Hall Tourist about his time on the council, his district and more.
TOWN HALL TOURIST: What has been the most gratifying part of serving on the Tacoma City Council?
MARTY CAMPBELL: Being able to empower people to feel that they can have their voices heard by the City. Often times, people will have an issue - minor or major - in their neighborhood without knowing how to resolve it. Being on the City Council has enabled me to bring forward people's concerns in a way that helps the city function better, but which more importantly helps people feel that they have a stake in the City's decisions.
THT: What has been the most difficult?
CAMPBELL: The cuts that we have had to make to services. No one prefers to serve during shortfalls because you have to make tough decisions, but my entire tenure has been during the recession and its aftermath. Because of that, not only have I not been able to secure funding for some of the issues that I think are really important to my district, but most of my efforts have been spent trying to minimize the impact of painful budget cuts throughout Tacoma.
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